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| Elections in North Dakota | ||||||||
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The1928 United States presidential election in North Dakota took place on November 6, 1928, as part of the1928 United States presidential election which was held throughout all contemporary 48 states. Voters chose five representatives, or electors to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
Ever since statehood,North Dakota had been overwhelmingly Republican at state level and in many presidential elections,[1] although progressive DemocratWoodrow Wilson was able to carry the state in both his campaigns in1912 and1916, in the second due to his anti-war platform. In the following two elections, the state's voting would be shaped by its extreme isolationism in the aftermath of President Wilson's pushing of the nation intoWorld War I and his “League of Nations” proposal, to which the Russian-Germans who dominated North Dakota's populace were vehemently opposed.[2] To North Dakota's predominantly German-American populace, Wilson's entry into the war and his support for theTreaty of Versailles was a betrayal, and farmers were also faced with a postwar agricultural depression as prices fell with reduced demand in Europe.[3] Consequently, North Dakota went for the isolationist RepublicanWarren G. Harding over the pro-League DemocratJames M. Cox by four-to-one in1920. In1924,Robert M. La Follette under theNonpartisan League banner attracted North Dakota's isolationist electorate so strongly that he went within two percentage points of carrying the state. When La Follette died in 1925, his family did not endorse a Republican, but rather New York CityCatholic DemocratAl Smith.[4]
| Presidential Candidate | Running Mate | Party | Electoral Vote (EV) | Popular Vote (PV) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herbert Hoover ofCalifornia | Charles Curtis | Republican | 5[5] | 131,441 | 54.80% |
| Al Smith | Joseph T. Robinson | Democratic | 0 | 106,648 | 44.46% |
| Norman Thomas | James Maurer | Social Production and Distribution | 0 | 936 | 0.39% |
| William Z. Foster | Benjamin Gitlow | Workers’ and Farmers’ Government | 0 | 842 | 0.35% |
| County[6] | Herbert Clark Hoover Republican | Alfred Emmanuel Smith Democratic | Norman Mattoon Thomas Social Production and Distribution | William Z. Foster Workers’ and Farmers’ Government | Margin | Total votes cast | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,590 | 70.67% | 644 | 28.62% | 13 | 0.58% | 3 | 0.13% | 946 | 42.04% | 2,250 |
| Barnes | 3,755 | 53.01% | 3,293 | 46.49% | 15 | 0.21% | 20 | 0.28% | 462 | 6.52% | 7,083 |
| Benson | 2,621 | 53.80% | 2,194 | 45.03% | 13 | 0.27% | 44 | 0.90% | 427 | 8.76% | 4,872 |
| Billings | 458 | 52.22% | 412 | 46.98% | 6 | 0.68% | 1 | 0.11% | 46 | 5.25% | 877 |
| Bottineau | 2,680 | 49.79% | 2,648 | 49.19% | 13 | 0.24% | 42 | 0.78% | 32 | 0.59% | 5,383 |
| Bowman | 1,031 | 54.99% | 821 | 43.79% | 12 | 0.64% | 11 | 0.59% | 210 | 11.20% | 1,875 |
| Burke | 2,002 | 58.38% | 1,336 | 38.96% | 70 | 2.04% | 21 | 0.61% | 666 | 19.42% | 3,429 |
| Burleigh | 3,955 | 55.59% | 3,076 | 43.23% | 68 | 0.96% | 16 | 0.22% | 879 | 12.35% | 7,115 |
| Cass | 12,480 | 66.18% | 6,315 | 33.49% | 14 | 0.07% | 49 | 0.26% | 6,165 | 32.69% | 18,858 |
| Cavalier | 3,068 | 54.86% | 2,510 | 44.89% | 11 | 0.20% | 3 | 0.05% | 558 | 9.98% | 5,592 |
| Dickey | 2,250 | 52.90% | 1,977 | 46.48% | 11 | 0.26% | 15 | 0.35% | 273 | 6.42% | 4,253 |
| Divide | 1,963 | 60.36% | 1,250 | 38.44% | 25 | 0.77% | 14 | 0.43% | 713 | 21.92% | 3,252 |
| Dunn | 1,360 | 46.50% | 1,561 | 53.37% | 4 | 0.14% | 0 | 0.00% | -201 | -6.87% | 2,925 |
| Eddy | 1,071 | 46.12% | 1,240 | 53.40% | 9 | 0.39% | 2 | 0.09% | -169 | -7.28% | 2,322 |
| Emmons | 1,792 | 46.25% | 2,066 | 53.32% | 12 | 0.31% | 5 | 0.13% | -274 | -7.07% | 3,875 |
| Foster | 1,137 | 48.99% | 1,178 | 50.75% | 5 | 0.22% | 1 | 0.04% | -41 | -1.77% | 2,321 |
| Golden Valley | 937 | 63.78% | 522 | 35.53% | 4 | 0.27% | 6 | 0.41% | 415 | 28.25% | 1,469 |
| Grand Forks | 8,024 | 64.86% | 4,300 | 34.76% | 15 | 0.12% | 32 | 0.26% | 3,724 | 30.10% | 12,371 |
| Grant | 1,759 | 54.59% | 1,434 | 44.51% | 14 | 0.43% | 15 | 0.47% | 325 | 10.09% | 3,222 |
| Griggs | 1,329 | 52.45% | 1,182 | 46.65% | 13 | 0.51% | 10 | 0.39% | 147 | 5.80% | 2,534 |
| Hettinger | 1,553 | 53.87% | 1,323 | 45.89% | 4 | 0.14% | 3 | 0.10% | 230 | 7.98% | 2,883 |
| Kidder | 1,200 | 49.94% | 1,190 | 49.52% | 6 | 0.25% | 7 | 0.29% | 10 | 0.42% | 2,403 |
| LaMoure | 2,245 | 55.00% | 1,800 | 44.10% | 16 | 0.39% | 21 | 0.51% | 445 | 10.90% | 4,082 |
| Logan | 1,013 | 43.64% | 1,293 | 55.71% | 14 | 0.60% | 1 | 0.04% | -280 | -12.06% | 2,321 |
| McHenry | 2,914 | 53.04% | 2,535 | 46.14% | 21 | 0.38% | 24 | 0.44% | 379 | 6.90% | 5,494 |
| McIntosh | 1,196 | 44.79% | 1,474 | 55.21% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -278 | -10.41% | 2,670 |
| McKenzie | 2,100 | 61.14% | 1,289 | 37.53% | 35 | 1.02% | 11 | 0.32% | 811 | 23.61% | 3,435 |
| McLean | 2,730 | 47.51% | 2,855 | 49.69% | 21 | 0.37% | 140 | 2.44% | -125 | -2.18% | 5,746 |
| Mercer | 971 | 37.45% | 1,619 | 62.44% | 3 | 0.12% | 0 | 0.00% | -648 | -24.99% | 2,593 |
| Morton | 2,881 | 42.04% | 3,946 | 57.58% | 17 | 0.25% | 9 | 0.13% | -1,065 | -15.54% | 6,853 |
| Mountrail | 2,354 | 52.30% | 2,003 | 44.50% | 108 | 2.40% | 36 | 0.80% | 351 | 7.80% | 4,501 |
| Nelson | 2,364 | 60.18% | 1,542 | 39.26% | 11 | 0.28% | 11 | 0.28% | 822 | 20.93% | 3,928 |
| Oliver | 680 | 51.67% | 631 | 47.95% | 4 | 0.30% | 1 | 0.08% | 49 | 3.72% | 1,316 |
| Pembina | 3,324 | 60.75% | 2,141 | 39.13% | 7 | 0.13% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,183 | 21.62% | 5,472 |
| Pierce | 1,469 | 47.60% | 1,606 | 52.04% | 5 | 0.16% | 6 | 0.19% | -137 | -4.44% | 3,086 |
| Ramsey | 3,246 | 54.62% | 2,672 | 44.96% | 8 | 0.13% | 17 | 0.29% | 574 | 9.66% | 5,943 |
| Ransom | 2,613 | 60.43% | 1,505 | 34.81% | 198 | 4.58% | 8 | 0.19% | 1,108 | 25.62% | 4,324 |
| Renville | 1,473 | 55.09% | 1,174 | 43.90% | 15 | 0.56% | 12 | 0.45% | 299 | 11.18% | 2,674 |
| Richland | 4,251 | 53.89% | 3,604 | 45.68% | 15 | 0.19% | 19 | 0.24% | 647 | 8.20% | 7,889 |
| Rolette | 1,327 | 37.50% | 2,181 | 61.63% | 12 | 0.34% | 19 | 0.54% | -854 | -24.13% | 3,539 |
| Sargent | 1,772 | 46.88% | 1,989 | 52.62% | 11 | 0.29% | 8 | 0.21% | -217 | -5.74% | 3,780 |
| Sheridan | 1,242 | 56.61% | 944 | 43.03% | 1 | 0.05% | 7 | 0.32% | 298 | 13.58% | 2,194 |
| Sioux | 687 | 40.46% | 988 | 58.19% | 14 | 0.82% | 9 | 0.53% | -301 | -17.73% | 1,698 |
| Slope | 873 | 60.88% | 542 | 37.80% | 10 | 0.70% | 9 | 0.63% | 331 | 23.08% | 1,434 |
| Stark | 1,924 | 37.28% | 3,231 | 62.60% | 4 | 0.08% | 2 | 0.04% | -1,307 | -25.32% | 5,161 |
| Steele | 1,574 | 57.34% | 1,152 | 41.97% | 6 | 0.22% | 13 | 0.47% | 422 | 15.37% | 2,745 |
| Stutsman | 4,782 | 55.07% | 3,873 | 44.60% | 16 | 0.18% | 13 | 0.15% | 909 | 10.47% | 8,684 |
| Towner | 1,588 | 54.23% | 1,324 | 45.22% | 12 | 0.41% | 4 | 0.14% | 264 | 9.02% | 2,928 |
| Traill | 3,638 | 71.36% | 1,447 | 28.38% | 5 | 0.10% | 8 | 0.16% | 2,191 | 42.98% | 5,098 |
| Walsh | 3,657 | 48.94% | 3,798 | 50.83% | 8 | 0.11% | 9 | 0.12% | -141 | -1.89% | 7,472 |
| Ward | 6,561 | 59.72% | 4,362 | 39.71% | 22 | 0.20% | 41 | 0.37% | 2,199 | 20.02% | 10,986 |
| Wells | 2,364 | 52.39% | 2,123 | 47.05% | 18 | 0.40% | 7 | 0.16% | 241 | 5.34% | 4,512 |
| Williams | 3,591 | 57.25% | 2,503 | 39.91% | 121 | 1.93% | 57 | 0.91% | 1,088 | 17.35% | 6,272 |
| Totals | 131,419 | 54.79% | 106,648 | 44.47% | 936 | 0.39% | 842 | 0.35% | 24,771 | 10.33% | 239,845 |
Despite much antagonism with the Catholic Church amongst the German and Scandinavian Lutherans in North Dakota,[7] Smith would capitalize extremely well upon La Folette's endorsement, due to the state being the most Catholic in the Midwest and a concurrent statewide repeal ofProhibition with the election,[8] further adding to support for the “wet” Smith. The local press in mid-September believed Smith would carry North Dakota.[9] and he later received further endorsement from the Nonpartisan League[10] despite opposition from SenatorsLynn J. Frazier andGerald P. Nye. Smith visited the state during his midwestern tour in late September and early October,[11] but during October the lessened unpopularity with farmers of Republican nomineeHerbert Hoover’s led pundits to imagine the GOP would retain the state.[12]
In the days leading up to the actual poll, forecasts suggested Hoover would retain North Dakota for the GOP, and he did this by a margin of 10.33 percent. Despite losing the state, Smith made a massive advance upon James M. Cox’ andJohn W. Davis’ performances earlier in the decade. Whereas North Dakota had been Cox’ and Davis’ second-weakest state in 1920 and 1924, it voted 7.07 points more Democratic than the nation at-large in 1928. In some counties that were largely Lutheran, Smith still made tremendous gains because of his opposition to Prohibition,[7] which was powerfully opposed by liturgical German Lutherans. This allowed Smith to become the first Democrat to carryMcIntosh County – which had been the nation's most Republican county in 1920[13] and where no Democrat had previously gained over 22 percent of the vote –Logan County,Mercer County,Morton County andSioux County.[14]
